Spider-Man has some tough
shoes to fill—not just the character, but also the latest entry in the Marvel
Cinematic Universe (or MCU for short), Columbia Pictures’ “Spider-Man: Far from
Home.”

Following the near-perfect
“Avengers: Endgame,” the final film in Phase Three of the MCU picks up after
what’s now being called “The Blip”—the five-year duration after Thanos snapped
his fingers and half the universe’s population turned to dust for a half decade.
While some of Peter Parker’s (the adorable Tom Holland) once blipped-away high
school classmates are dealing with the weird fact that their younger siblings
who survived Thanos’ snap are now older than them (since everyone who was
blipped away came back the same age), Peter is dodging Nick Fury’s (Samuel L.
Jackson) phone calls in hopes of living a regular teenage life for a while. For
even though Fury—and the rest of the world, for that matter—expects Spider-Man
to follow in his mentor’s footsteps and become the next Iron Man, all Peter
wants to do is enjoy his upcoming European school trip and finally tell his
school crush, MJ (Zendaya, “The Greatest Showman”), how he feels about her.

Of course, with Thor off
planet and most of the other living Avengers occupied with one thing or another
(the only real information audiences are privy to is that Peter should not
evoke Captain Marvel’s name in Fury’s presence), Fury needs Peter to step up to
the plate to help a mysterious new superhero from a different reality named
Quentin Beck (played by Jake Gyllenhaal, “Brokeback Mountain”) defeat elemental
threats that Beck claims destroyed his world and killed his family. Torn
between being the hero the world needs and simply living the life he wants,
Peter must decide if he’s up to the task of really being an Avenger—with the
fate of the world resting on his decision.

Coming off of the
emotional “Avengers: Endgame,” “Spider-Man: Far from Home” is a much-needed comedic
escape. Even though it addresses the casualties from “Endgame,” particularly, the
death of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and the impact that’s had on Peter, in
true Stark fashion, Tony manages to get the last laugh with a pair of high-tech
glasses he entrusts Peter with and the name he gives its artificial
intelligence system (which won’t be spoiled here). Like “Spider-Man:
Homecoming,” the movie (which is again directed by Jon Watts) also features one
of the best—and funniest—openings of any Marvel film, which says a lot since it
basically picks up Peter’s story with an “In Memoriam” segment to the Avengers
recently lost, but with a hilarious, “Deadpool”-like twist.

Holland, as always, is a
delight as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, and it’s nice to see Jon Favreau’s Happy Hogan
get a bigger role with Tony out of the picture (though he’ll always be missed).
There are several surprises along the way, too, that fans of the MCU and even
Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” trilogy are sure to enjoy, as well as a possible budding
romance between Happy and Aunt May (Marisa Tomei, who seriously never ages).

However, anyone who knows
the “Spider-Man” comics fairly well will know where the story by screenwriters
Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers (who both helped write “Spider-Man: Homecoming”)
is headed, and will find themselves anxious for the 129-minute movie to get to
a certain revelation that they know is coming. This sort of takes away from the
first half of the film, while the impressive, though hard-to-follow special
effects muddle up the second half of the movie. It’s impossible to go into too
much detail without spoiling things for those who haven’t read any Marvel
comics beforehand and are just enjoying the films, so not much more will be
said about the plot other than that.

Nevertheless, while not
the best movie in the MCU, “Spider-Man: Far from Home” is still a worthy
addition to the blockbuster superhero franchise and a great way to finally wrap
up Phase Three. Holland’s natural charisma carries the film with ease, and his romantic
storyline with MJ is a sweet and grounded touch for the high-flying web slinger’s
otherwise fantastical story. Given one of the film’s two post-credit scenes, though,
Spidey’s next challenge might not be nearly as funny (or as funny as any
life-or-death situation can be), so audiences should enjoy the relatively light
MCU adventure while they can. Although if Thor’s still up in space with the
Guardians of the Galaxy, that has to be hilarious, too—right?

Heather Turk

A graduate of the University of Southern California, Heather's byline has appeared everywhere from The Los Angeles Times to Playboy.com — with her review of "The Truman Show" making the front page of The Detroit News' movie section when she was just 16 years old. Throughout her career she has interviewed some of Hollywood's biggest stars, including her three "future husbands," Jim Carrey, Will Smith and Adam Sandler. In addition to writing for Front Row Features, she covers the entertainment beat for several other outlets and is the Associate Editor of Allegiant's in-flight publication, Sunseeker.

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Heather Turk

A graduate of the University of Southern California, Heather's byline has appeared everywhere from The Los Angeles Times to Playboy.com — with her review of "The Truman Show" making the front page of The Detroit News' movie section when she was just 16 years old. Throughout her career she has interviewed some of Hollywood's biggest stars, including her three "future husbands," Jim Carrey, Will Smith and Adam Sandler. In addition to writing for Front Row Features, she covers the entertainment beat for several other outlets and is the Associate Editor of Allegiant's in-flight publication, Sunseeker. Read Full